Chapter 45: Putting Your Hoof Down

There the friendly green stallion stood, humming a song as he set up a new bird.

He had positioned it right at the low branch of a tree next to the cottage, and began to whistle to the wind, letting its tune carry through the sky till a young bird found the charming tune from high in the sky.

She tweeted and flew down, landing on the bird house and giving it a light inspection. But she didn't need to inspect long, for many birds and other animals knew of the gentle Typhoon Breeze.

Anything made by him for the living and feeding of animals was genuine and made with heart. So she happily let loose fine tunes of her own before entering the house with joy. Just like that, her future became a whole lot brighter, and it brought warm happiness to the old warrior.

"I hope you'll enjoy your new home. It'll bring you some of the most fondest memory…!" He chirped to the bird and gave her some space to settle in.

He continued to hum a little song as the nature lover picked up his watering pot, offering some water to the flowers he freshly planted on the sides of his doorstep for extra color. He was ready to take the pot outback to water down the garden, but then he saw Fluttershy inside feeding the animals. She seemed competent enough to care dearly for the animals, much like he did when he was so much younger. Back when he was exactly like her, young, shy, and oh so gentle.

It filled him with pride to be the first of his family to carry the gift and love for nature and it's critters. And the best part of it was that she would never have to be a part of the warriors. That was his curse and his alone, her peace and life was to remain her own rather than religiously devoted to Equestria alone. She may not know it, but if Equestria was ever in any danger, no matter the situation, he would have to do it. Even if it meant burning down the forest or slaughtering certain animals.

These thoughts bothered him as he watched Fluttershy trying to get Angel to eat, so he needed to turn away to keep his thoughts from making him bitter towards Fluttershy. He went out to where the open land began and took in the very wind he controlled with a flick of his wings.

Once he stepped into the grassy plains, he took a deep breath and raised to his back legs. He then closed his eyes and focused on the small breeze soaring around his body and through the soft grass. His tai chi kicked in, and he went with the flow of the wind's movement to free his mind and body. His arms moved with each other, swinging and extending with the wind, while his back hooves swept across the grass. His hooves kicked up some grass, as his movements flowed like a dance.

Grass flew around him, helping to mask the peering eyes that blazed with interest. Before he knew it, the winds gave a call, and his weapon answered by flying out a window and twirling to its owner. As his right hoof stuck out far and to the side, it caught the staff, allowing him to spin it.

"There is more to me than just devotion to my country… There is also devotion to myself, my spirit is free, and it is peaceful,"He whispered some words of encouragement to himself as his staff twirled and carried the wind,"I am strong… But I am also gentle… Bitterness can never grip my heart and soul…"

He gently raised his staff horizontally till it was in front of his chest before swatting it down in the grass. Knocking up some dirt and grass, he then raised the staff up, spinning it above his head. Collecting more wind that he then swung like a bat against a ball, whipping the wind across the grass. Causing some of the grass to splice in half and fly into the wind as he then side flipped. Landing back down on his back hooves and driving the end of his staff into the ground.

This triggered the staff to immediately change into its scythe form, the blade shooting out the top, wide, shiny, thick and sharp. Once the spear point shot out the bottom, he lifted it off the grass, allowing the wind itself to follow the momentum of the deadly blade into the air. This caused more grass to fly into the air, until Typhoon felt the surrounding presence of all the grass the wind carried. It surrounded him, like a prison of sorts that wanted to creep deeper into his mind and heart.

"Never let the darkness and it's negative energy in. Allow your positive thoughts and spirit to be stronger than the darkness," Typhoon's back legs swept back into a solid stance as he reared back his scythe,"...sweep all thought of it from mind…! And leave none of it in your wake!"

He swung his scythe, the blade went down and through the grass, it barely touched or grazed the grass. Before it all flew into the air from a clean cut, before his blade curved back up behind his back. He then followed and repeated his dance, swinging side to side with grace and following with diagonal lunges. Sweeping his large blade across the grass like wind rippling through the ocean. Typhoon then stepped back and swept in a circular spinning motion with his weapon on his back.

As the grass surrounded him, darkening the rays of the sun like a cooling prison. It dared to ensnare him in the dark memories of his days as a warrior, the memories that forced him to be tough. Doing whatever he needed to do as a warrior, no matter how much it hurt. In this era, at the very least, he deserved a chance to shed that barrier and free his mind and body from such demands. So he slashed away, upwards, downwards, sideways, long ways, back and forth, he swished his blade in all directions.

With each swing a slash of blinding light and wind whipped through that barrier. Piercing the dark to let the light shine through, the slashes destroyed the ground, blasting chunks of dirt, grass and rocks around. His eyes sharpen and turn serious, the stare erupted from him, and he could see it. The light shining so slowly with each strike, everything else seem to stand still for him. His slashes grew impossible to see, only the slashes that carved lines in the dirt around him could be seen.

Only with his one hundred and fiftieth strike did he stop, and the grass burst around him. Floating and falling like gentle green snow, allowing the light to shine on him like heaven's light itself. When the grassy dust came to a soft landing, it formed a ring around him. Covering the slashes and horrid damage his scythe could do to any living thing in his path. Only then did he let out a deep breath and eased his stance, wielding the scythe horizontal like with the blade aimed away.

"The light is my friend. Protect it like one no matter what…" Typhoon breathed slowly before feeling the scythe get stuck.

"Your skills continue to be sharp as ever. Graceful, smooth, and oh so lethal…!" A deep and familiar voice sounded as Typhoon tried to pull away his scythe.

Only when he looked to the blade side of his scythe did he witnessed the smiling face of War Fire. The pony of fire smiled wide while holding the scythe just under the blade. But the blade still manage to accidentally dig it's tip into the side of his cheek, causing a line of blood to stream down. But the pain was nothing, it was in fact a pleasurable feeling to feel the sharpness of such a fine weapon. And witnessing just how fierce and how much of a stallion Typhoon had become was icing on the cake.

"What are you doing here…? I thought you didn't like coming to places like this." Typhoon thought while struggling to pull his weapon away, until War Fire released it.

"I use to… But…now when I look around at the things I see here in this new age," He tossed the scythe back into Typhoon's control before walking past him to look at the nature lover's land,"It's quite a lovely place… For a moment… It makes the screams and roars silent in my head."

"Maybe you should come here more often… Have a place you can go to for peace and quiet."Typhoon offered while his weapon went back to a staff for him to use for a walking stick,"A lot of the worst fights are already over… There's peace and prosperity to indulge in here."

"Heh… Would that really be so bad for me…? But no… I am who I am, and you are who you are,"He turned back to Typhoon with a less tense look, and even sighed,"The war may be over for all of you, but I feel there's still a battle for me to fight…"

"Once a warrior…always a warrior I suppose…"Typhoon chuckled and War Fire did the same, giving him a single pat on the shoulder.

Suddenly, after a moment of staring at each other with respect, chaos sounded off. Bowls were kicked through the house, and complaints raised with Fluttershy and her bunny. Only when Stormy hopped off and alarmed Typhoon did the green stallion sigh with a groan.

"That Angel needs a lesson in some respect…! I swear…! Excuse me."Typhoon excused himself and rushed off to the cottage, this got the fiery stallion curious.

Typhoon quickly rushed into the house to find Angel throwing bowls and holding a book. Only when Fluttershy gave the bunny her full attention did he open the book up. Showing off the kind of salad he wanted instead of the food he was offered, this was unacceptable bratty behavior.

"I'm not sure I can even make that…! Well…I don't want you to starve,"Fluttershy was being the lenient pony she was, which was always a problem on occasions,"Oh… Are you sure I can't tempt you with a nice crisp piece of-"

Angel responded by slapping away the lettuce she offered him out of pickiness. This made War Fire chuckle while Typhoon hoof palmed his face at the mockery he knew was coming.

"I'll make your special recipe…"Fluttershy said with a submissive sigh.

She then left to gather her things for a trip into Ponyville, Typhoon did his best not to feel embarrassed for her. But such a thing happening in front of War Fire was just asking for insults and mockery.

"I take it this is the kind of trouble you deal with now a days? Quite the hard struggle this will be,"He chuckled after watching Fluttershy admit defeat to a rabbit of all things,"A spoiled bunny will be your greatest foe yet…!"

"No it won't…! Just give me a moment,"Typhoon sighed and went over to poke his head through the window,"Stormy, can you be so kind as to discipline Angel?"

Slowly, the storm cloud grey rabbit hopped his way down, still bearing a few scars from the fight with the Changelings. But he only carried a bandage around his head, and a couple wraps of gauze around his arm. He was still able to move, and still able to be of assistance through the cottage.

He saluted Typhoon and pulled out a freshly wood carved paddle he made in his spare time. And slowly patted it on his paw, looking straight at Angel, who screamed and ran for the sake of his hide. Stormy gave chase, much to Typhoon's satisfaction, allowing himself to leave the window.

"What a surprise… A push over for a descendant. She really is your blood…!"War Fire mocked some more, and Typhoon sighed.

"She's a good mare… Gentle, loving, compassionate. She's just… Sheltered,"Typhoon tried to explain her to the fiery pony,"She doesn't understand that the world won't always be sunshine and rainbows. She's just too innocent and soft to understand…"

"Sounds like some pony needs a dose of the real world and its dark secrets…"War Fire smiled, finding interest in this show of what harmony had done to the world he once knew.

"I'm…not sure she could handle it…!"Typhoon decided to just rush to the door, hoping to avoid more disapproval.

Thankfully, Fluttershy saved him the trouble by exiting with a saddle bag on her back. As much as he hoped to stop her from doing something for a bunny that was now being punished. He needed this excuse to avoid more mockery and criticism from War Fire.

"Oh…! Pappy, I was just about to go to the market and collect some ingredients for-"Fluttershy couldn't even finish before he was nudging her forward.

"That issue is being taken care of, but a trip to the market would be splendid right about now…!"He quickly responded and got her moving towards town.

War Fire gave a single chuckle to himself, for he saw that the weakness of the world went deeper than he previously thought. He simply left it all be, for he had learned enough for today. Allowing the two gentle ponies to be on their way to Ponyville, as he returned to the Ever Free forest.

This left Typhoon to enjoy a calming walk with his descendant in hopes of clearing his head. He knew it was wrong to feel the way he did, but in front of War Fire he felt embarrassed. The way War Fire was judging her, and seeing that Fluttershy was just like he was when he first became a warrior. So shy, so weak, so easily harmed inside and out by the world and it's residence. War Fire even tormented him till the day Typhoon could prove himself, but he could see it happening again.

His dear child was just like him, and she was about to make him experience it all over again. It took everything in his conscious not to blame her, or feel embarrassed to be around her. But then they entered Ponyville, and it all started simple enough, a simple walk to the market.

But once they got to the market, everything went downhill from there. Even more of her shy and spineless behavior was all over the place when they searched for all the goods they needed. But the moment they made it to the first vendor, her lack of bravery and haggling became her undoing.

"So why did you decide that we could still go to the market if Angel was being taken care of?"Fluttershy asked as they waited in line for some asparagus

"I just needed some time away from the place,"He lied, hiding what he felt back there,"Just…what is it that you think we need for the cottage?"

"Well, let's see. Asparagus would be nice for small cook outs and future treats."She quietly decided on the first bit of grocery they needed.

Suddenly they were stopped by a passerby who decided to cut in front of them. Typhoon was immediately annoyed by this, but Fluttershy was once again timid and quiet to respond.

"Um, excuse me? I think you just stepped in front of me? Excuse me, I think you made a mistake."Fluttershy quietly tried to get the stallion's attention.

Typhoon hoof palmed, for the line cutter was either not hearing her or purposely ignoring her. He grew tired of it, and decided to be her spine once again as he approached the line cutter.

"Excuse me? You cut in line! We were here first, ma'am."Typhoon sternly called out to the mare.

He then grabbed her shoulder and turned her around to face him to explain herself.

"Sorry, didn't notice you there..!"The mare scoffed, annoyed at Typhoon's approach to her.

"Then pay attention next time, and maybe think twice about being so rude and inconsiderate,"Typhoon gave her a small bit of consideration before letting her go,"Now get to the back of the line, and wait your turn!"

The mare sighed, remembering who she was speaking with, knowing there would be consequences for challenging him. So she moved to the back, allowing the two to arrive to the stand. Thankfully they avoided another bender when an old stallion nearly cut in front.

Thankfully, Typhoon fixed that issue with a simple whirlwind to turn the old stallion around. Making him slowly walk to the back while Fluttershy ordered her asparagus. It took moments before Fluttershy could finally get her asparagus, and just as she received it.

She was suddenly hip checked and knocked aside by two young mares with quite the catty adolescent voices. The kind of voices that would just kill a respected and real pony's hope for the future.

"And I was like, oh wow!"The first mare said in such a smug and girly tone.

Typhoon caught Fluttershy before she could stumble too much, he then approached the ignorant mare and her friend.

"Excuse me! You pushed my granddaughter…!"Typhoon voiced his outrage, and was met with a cold reception.

"Um…excuse ME, old timer. But you're in my personal space!"The mare sassed Typhoon.

"What did you just say-"Typhoon was then interrupted.

"I said, you're in our personal space. Get a life, old stallion!"

Typhoon grew uncomfortably quiet from the mockery.

Silence took over the line of customers, Fluttershy had her hooves around her mouth. The shear ignorance portrayed against a pony of Typhoon's status was either bold or stupid.

On this day, it was decided to be stupid, leading to an ugly gust of wind straight from Typhoon's mouth. It's strength lifted and sent the mares spiraling at arrow speed through the library's tree branches. They screamed the whole time out of shock from the sudden move.

Before they came to a solid landing in a small pond with a bridge over it. It was a solid three block journey they had taken before they were now soaked, their moans wet and full of muck and tree limbs. This was satisfying for Typhoon, as he turned around and took up Fluttershy's hoof.

"This is so…gross!"the second mare cried looking at her mane.

"I'm so…going to write about this! That old timer is gonna pay!"The first one whined as they desperately swam through the pond to get out.

"Now we can go…!"Typhoon decided it was best to leave now.

"You two are ponies with a serious problem!"Pinkie Pie suddenly bounced out from the line and before the family of two.

"We are perfectly fine, there's no need for you to pity us over such typical peeves."Typhoon insisted all was well.

"But…I can-"

"No…! Let's go…! What else do you need, Fluttershy?"Typhoon denied help, as much as he truly wanted it inside.

Pinkie and Rarity looked at each other, Fluttershy's timid and spineless behavior was somewhat normal. But Typhoon was behaving very strangely, defensive, almost like a stressed father. He was hiding something, and Fluttershy had something to do with his struggles. The need to help arose and they followed the two, in hopes of helping their friend and the old warrior.

Before long the two were in another line to pick up some tomatoes. Thankfully, there were no more issues with rude ponies cutting in line or talking down to them. Typhoon got the chance he needed to take a breather from the humiliation back at the asparagus stand. Though his only regret was not accepting the help of Pinkie and Rarity when they offered to help give Fluttershy a spine. But he felt it was his responsibility, his child that he needed to raise and teach about the world.

However, his view of the world and her views were so different from one another. She would never understand, or worse, her mind would be changed for the worse and she'd be a shuttin all her life. So he could not bring himself to be stern and real with her, he was willing to endure some embarrassment in exchange for her innocence being maintained.

Finally, it was her turn at the stand, and that's when it started happening again. She threw down a bit for some tomatoes, and this time it was a swindle from the owner.

"That'll be two bits! Not one."The seller demanded more than the actual cost.

"Oh, but last week it was only one bit."Fluttershy thought.

"That was then, this is now."The mare was cut and clean about her price.

"Oh, ok. I don't want to argue about it."Fluttershy admitted, and Typhoon hoof palmed his face with embarrassment.

"What do you think you're doing?"Pinkie questioned with Rarity at her side.

"Mindin my own business. You should try it some time."The snide owner responded to Pinkie.

Suddenly, the bubbly pink pony approached boldly and slapped down only one bit.

"Two bits for tomatoes is outrageous! One bit is the right price."Pinkie decided to haggle the owner right back.

"I say it's two bits!"The owner argued.

"One bit!"Pinkie did not cave in to the haggling.

"Two bits!"

"One bit!"

"Two bits!"

This argument went on and on, and it was exhausting to watch between Pinkie and the tomato seller. Rarity noticed his frustration growing as the green stallion slowly shook his head. This was confusing, for any pony that's lived for two thousand years would recognize a good haggling going on. Perhaps it was something else, something that's been bothering him for a while.

"What's wrong with you…? You're acting like this whole morning has been torment…!"Rarity questioned the stressed out warrior.

"It has been… Just watching her so shyly try things and live as she is… It's endearing, but…"Typhoon sighed in frustration, and Fluttershy kicking dirt around behind Pinkie like a child wasn't helping.

"Yes…?"Rarity was curious, and a bit suspicious.

He shook his head, he couldn't say it, the resentment would be too much between himself and his descendant. He just couldn't say it, as true as it could be, no matter the shame, he needed to have faith that she will mature.

"Two bits!"Suddenly Pinkie was haggling for two bits.

"One bit!"The haggling mare shocked them by lowering the price.

"I insist it's two bits or nothing!"Pinkie finalized her little mind trap.

"One bit! That's my final offer!"The stand owner falls for the mind trap and inadvertently lowers her price.

"Have it your way! One bit is is!"Pinkie agreed with the deal she was hoping to get out of the stand owner.

Fluttershy was confused, but Typhoon was surprised by Pinkie's sudden silver tongue. So bubbly and friendly, yet she also turned out to know how to talk the talk and haggle with hagglers. The two mares were giggling at Pinkie's clever words.

"See? Asserting yourself can be fun!"Pinkie insisted upon the confused Fluttershy.

"I guess you're right!"Fluttershy agreed, showing eagerness to try it out.

"Oh no…"Typhoon feared the worse as Fluttershy tried to assert herself.

And he was right to fear what was coming, a very cringe worthy attempt at assertiveness.

Meanwhile, War Fire was now making his return to the cave that held all his secrets. It had the chills a bit, his spine tingled like mad after what he saw at Typhoon's cottage. That pink maned mare with colors as soft as her personality made him half ill to look at. So shy, so weak, so helpless, and she came from the descending loins of Typhoon. He shook his head, wishing he could be surprised, but he knew all too well that Typhoon was the same way once upon a time.

"Ages upon ages…you trained and suffered to rise from the shy coward you once were,"War Fire spoke of Typhoon in a very cynical tone,"Now You have such a shameful child ruining the name you made for yourself… Dear Typhoon…"

He jumped into the mouth of the cave and started following the light of his fire. His heat surrounding him with the burning passion of what he's come to understand. This world is breeding weaker and weaker ponies, so helpless and sensitive to the true meanings of the world.

"Strength… Strength is all the world knows and gives, never caring who will die and who lives,"War Fire suddenly found his words forming into a small little tune,"Your strength it gives decides your fate. Will you grow in glory, or die a blank slate…?"

He wondered and felt the light and warm embrace of his magical fire beckoning him. His eyes slowly opened wide to a great flame that illuminated his face, and made his soul burn with conviction.

"Who's strong, and who is not…?"

He passed through the flame and witnessed is glorious Cinders marching within the hundreds. Walking from their pits fresh and smelling of fresh embers with shouts and sneers. Their rage driven by his passion for Equestria as he stood tall and watched over them.

"Death has opened my eyes, showed me a conflict worse than those foreign flies,"War Fire slowly let a smile fade to a frown of disgust when Fluttershy came to mind,"My people grow weak, their fates and strength growing frail and bleak! I awoke and begged my beloved country. I don't know what to do, help me!"

His eyes widened, a feeling imitated from his lack of sanity reacting to what he saw of his people. On the outside he maintained, but within his mind, it was screaming and clawing at his brain. Rage and blood lust for the weak was being demanded, but he brushed it off. He simply grasped his head as he then let out the rage he maintained.

"I'll give my flesh, my blood, my soul and heart. But we must tear this new world apart,"he roared, as Changelings and Cinders sparred with each other against the roaring flames,"Who's strong and who's not? I will find the weak and leave their corpses to rot!"

The screams and roars of Cinder and Changeling alike showed him true strength and will to survive.

"The strong will rise and rebuild this land, the weak will be lucky to serve our band,"He was wicked with the thoughts he had for the weak,"We'll cull them, slay them, Feed them to the dogs! For this is our world for only the strong!"

Watching his followers clash blades, and chant for the weak to die for the strong. It made War Fire laugh as the fires blazed and grew like his spirit for purging the world of weak impurity. And they were the instruments to start this revolution.

"So who's strong and who's not? Once we march upon our land, the strong will finally take…a…STAND!"War Fire roared along with some Cinders that war cried for his spirited tune.

Then the fires slowly lowered along with his quiet chuckles of satisfaction. Before looking onward to his Cinders, eagerly studying their progress alongside the Changelings. The day of reckoning was starting to grow near, and they needed to be ready for the moment to strike.

"Punishment over! We hope that you learned your lesson!"

The raised stern voice of Moltorious caught War Fire's attention and broke him from the moment. As he turned around to see Moltorious and an assistant Cinder dragging a weakened Cinder back from his punishment. His flames were weak and his body was soaked from ice cold cave water.

"I hope this week long soak in the pools has made you bit more respectable of your higher ups!"The grunt spat before the weak Cinder was thrown to the stone floor.

Thorax and Pharynx were also within the massive group of trainees, and it wasn't going well. Thorax could hardly hold his sword straight before Pharynx disarmed and tripped him. But once he was on his back, he could see what Cinder was now laying just several feet from him.

"From now on, you will leave the punishments of the disciples to me or our master. I hope you-"

"Fissure!"Thorax gasped and panicked at the Cinder's state.

This disrupted the sparring session, and eyes were all falling on Thorax. As he rushed to the side of the Cinder, and surprised him by helping him up just enough to hug him. The Cinders were baffled, and Pharynx was left embarrassed and confused as well. Moltorious too was shocked and looked to his master from above for some sort of assistance. War Fire merely waved it off, gesturing Moltorious to leave the two be to rekindle their partnership, he complied.

"Are you ok…?! What happened to you?"Thorax feared, while Fissure was the most confused of them all.

"I'm…fine… Just…cold…!"He admitted with deep breaths that they could see.

Thorax felt Fissure's cheek and chest, they were cold and steaming from the dip.

"Are…you ok…?"Fissure asked before he was suddenly getting picked up almost completely.

"It's just a scratch now… I need to get you into a fire to warm up!"Thorax's face went red with great struggle as he did his best to drag the Cinder toward the nearest flame.

He was ready to buckle over from the weight on his back, but then help came. Pharynx had rushed to his brother's side, and got under to help catch a bit of Fissure's heavy and wet body. Thorax and Fissure slowly looked at the big brother changeling, but he did not look at them.

"What…are…you…doing?"Fissure asked, and Pharynx shook his head at the question.

"Let's just get you into the fire, please…?"Pharynx was clearly embarrassed, but his brother showed heart, and he needed to answer it.

War Fire watched this display, and the corners of a grin he wore began to twitch. Fighting between rage and enticement, such a bizarre behavior and relationship was blooming. Something he was curious to understand, and stop if it got to…unsavory levels, much like Twilight.

"What was that? That…feeling I felt seeing those two reunite?"Moltorious suddenly flew to War Fire's side, confused and full of questions.

"I have seen these sort of moments play out several times, and even then. I never understood their end result,"War Fire quietly answered his confused student,"It'd be best not to dwell on these things… It almost never ends well for those who share such moments…"

"Yes master…"Moltorious understood, but the confusion was still fresh in his mind.

"Pay no more attention! Continue your training Cinders and Changelings!"War Fire commanded them to continue sparring and sharpening their skills.

They looked to War Fire, and they slowly continued to spar with one another. While their master nodded and slowly departed to get some rest from the long day he had. Moltorious was left to watch over his people, and it gave him plenty of time to think about what he witnessed.

This went on until the impending night had arrived, and Typhoon was finally done shopping with Fluttershy. By the end they spent most of the bits Typhoon had made in a month of work. Pinkie was a good haggler, but sadly, Fluttershy was not even close to haggling material. He had given her a silent treatment the rest of the time until they were home, and in seconds they were.

"Eighty four bits…! Not ten, not twenty. Eighty four…!"Typhoon finally spoke out as they approached the cottage.

"I'm sorry… I thought I was getting the hang of haggling…!"Fluttershy apologized for today's events.

"I know, I know…! It's just…it's just not your thing, Fluttershy. You're not aggressive, you're not a haggler, you're not…"He slowly went silent with stress, he still didn't feel that he could say it.

"Pappy…?"Fluttershy figured out he was holding something in.

"Just…go inside and unpack all the groceries…"He quietly insisted, and let the silence take over.

She nodded, and slowly entered the cottage to give Typhoon the privacy he needed. He let out a deep sigh and listened to the growing chirps of crickets and the lights of the fireflies. The green stallion immediately went to his chair and started to relax, listening deeply to the sounds. Letting nature be his means of calming his thoughts and clearing his mind. The cool night air was perfect for cooling his head, and then Stormy was kind enough to finally come out.

He slowly looked down, and Stormy could immediately read Typhoon's exhausted look. So the rabbit immediately got to his owner's lap and laid back to do his favorite pastime. Listen to Typhoon talk about his thoughts, and carving out some wooden sculptures with his knife.

"Today was absurd…! Hagglers, line cutters, thugs, ignorant teens! When did this town become so full of unwanted ignorance,"He sighed with quiet outrage,"And they were tearing Fluttershy apart, she didn't stand a chance…!"

Stormy slowly nodded, this one sounded like a common rant from Typhoon. Bad ponies, ignorant, or just plain ridiculous ponies, they were always something to rant about.

"I… It's embarrassing… Fluttershy, she's…hopeless. She's fresh meat for those ponies out there."Stormy caught the sudden and slight change of subject.

The rabbit looked back at Typhoon, his stare was distant and solemn to the night sky. He was serious, as crazy as it sounded from the old warrior, he was completely serious.

"What's going to happen if I die one day and she's all by herself? She's not gonna make it long,"Typhoon gave Stormy a couple pets across his head and ears,"This world will swallow her whole. I know I should have been harder on her, but…"

He failed to hear the slight opening creak of the cottage window as it opened up slowly. He failed to hear it, and continued to speak with his pet and friend.

"She's...innocence… The innocence that I once had when I was actually her age,"The thought of him being as innocent as her seemed like a distant memory,"I just can't seem to let go of that innocence… No matter how much I know she'll have to one day."

Fluttershy was listening to these words quietly, listening and watching him from a crack in the window. Her eyes dropped, and her face grew sorrowful to hear Typhoon's inner struggle. As she finally closed the window to give him the peace he needed to think things over.

"What do I do, Stormy? How can I get Fluttershy ready for the world?"he wondered and quietly pondered on the thought.

Fluttershy sighed, and finally got to work putting all the groceries away, with a little help from Angel.

"He's right, Angel… I am soft… I was helpless in the marketplace, without him and my friends,"She stopped for a moment, knowing the answer to that very thought,"And just the thought of him talking like that… Like…I may never see him again one day…!"

She held herself for a moment, Angel stopped putting tomatoes away at the sight of her. Shivering and feeling the true twinge of fear from the idea of Typhoon one day dying.

"Look at me… I really am…a doormat. And just a few words from Pappy is making me shake,"She started acknowledged just how weak and timid she was,"I… I need to be strong…! As Celestia as my witness, I'll never be a push over again! I need to start being assertive and strong…!"

She slowly manage to stop shaking and stomp down to shake off the fear in her heart. This stomp made a trash bin tip over and spill some paper trash, including a balled up paper ad. She sighed, now that she needed to clean up the mess of trash, knowing how Typhoon gets about trash. So she quickly started picking trash up, and by some chance encounter, she found the balled up ad. And that's when she saw her salvation to growing a spine and ending her days of a push over.

This gave her the excitement she needed to shake off her worries, as she rushed off before finishing the trash. As she went upstairs to fill out her saddle bag for an early morning trip. For now, she did not want Typhoon knowing where she planned to go, she'd rather show him the results of her trip.

This left Typhoon to slowly drift off to sleep right on the porch with some of his nightly animal friends all around him. The gentle bats that fluttered around the shingles of his home. The crickets hopping and taking to the night for a swim and some quality food. Even Mister Bear paid them a visit and slept at the end of the bridge to guard their tranquil lover of all nature. This gave him safety and peace to slumber through the whole night, unaware of Fluttershy's plans.

A gentle breeze and shimmering sunlight was the first thing to greet him in the morning. His eyes slowly opened to the glittering light of the sun and the sound of his creek under the small bridge rushing by. The morning dew giving the stream more water as he looked around his beautiful cottage. Stormy slept on his lap the entire time with a new carving wrapped in his fluffy paws. It was a cute carving of Typhoon sleeping the very same way he was sleeping just hours ago.

He let a small smile grow across his face, for he found humor in the carving. Telling him how annoying it could be when he chooses to sleep outside, leaving himself in the hands of the elements. He petted Stormy's head gently, and looked around to the birds that started to chirp.

Some flocked around his cottage, while others casually took up some bedding in his mane. They clearly appeared to have slept soundly in his long mane, a flattering gesture. For many moments he watched as the sunlight and fresh dew brought his cottage to life with animals.

He yawned, and slowly nudged his rabbit awake so he could share the moment of a new day with his master. He held onto Stormy as he slowly stood up on his back legs and continued petting him.

"Goodness, I did it again… Doctors always tell me to be careful when sleeping outside. Not good for the bones."He yawned again and stretched his legs.

This signaled the birds to flutter out of his mane to stretch their wings for the day. He sniffled, and thankfully the nightly dew did not trigger his occasional sinus troubles.

"Fluttershy? Are you awake? We need to get breakfast started for the animals!"He called out while cracking his back.

There was no response, and he noticed how uncommon that was between him and Fluttershy. He entered the cottage, and slowly placed Stormy down on a couch nice and gentle like. This allowed the bunny to sleep while Typhoon got the kitchen wood stove burning and heating up.

While the pan did so, this was his chance to quickly go up the stairs to wake up Fluttershy. Sleeping in was saved for the weekends, during the weeks she needed to be up by the time he was up. This allowed them to clean up the cottage quick and prepare breakfast for themselves and the animals.

"Fluttershy? It's time to get up! We need to get the cottage ready for…"He called out while poking his head up into the bedroom.

He looked around, and saw that Fluttershy was not in her bed or even brushing her mane. Now he was confused, perhaps she was outside somewhere already tending to the birds. So he rushed over to her bedroom window and swung it open to look out and around for her.

"Fluttershy?!"He called out, slightly worried about her absence.

Only to finally turn back to her bed and spot what he missed from the staircase. A little note laid gently upon her pillow, somewhat blended in with the white fluffy pillow. He flew over and slowly took up the note, so many thoughts racing through his mind seeing an ominous note.

"Please don't be a runaway or suicide note…"He prayed and opened up the note.

Pappy

I'm sorry I left without telling you, but I've done some thinking about what you said that night. And I realize that I've been a bit of an embarrassment to you, I heard what you said outside. So…I found a way to finally grow a spine and assert myself like you wanted. I will return by this evening, and You'll see a brand new Fluttershy, I promise.

Fluttershy

Typhoon hoof palmed his face, hating himself for not being more quiet with his struggles. Now Fluttershy was out somewhere getting an apparent change in attitude to be a more assertive pony. He didn't know whether to trust her or go out and find her, then again, if she wanted to be more assertive, would it be best that she handled it alone?

He sighed, and decided to humor Fluttershy by letting her go on this journey. This meant that he needed to cook his own breakfast and put together meals for all the animals.

The birds were easy enough to care for, just some berries and nuts as well as their seeds. And he simply just placed the dishes of food all around his cottage before nearby bird houses.

The snakes and other underground critters required either some carrots or some rogue rodents terrorizing their fellow rodents. A dirty business, but the carnivores need to eat as well, and going vegan would only serve to kill off the carnivorous animals. So Typhoon, fed the vegetarians some mixed up leftover vegetables, while digging in the dirt with his hooves to point out trouble makers for the snakes. Finally, he needed to simply swirl up some wind to pull out some fish for the bear.

That was finished with just a flap of his wings that splashed up the creek and showered Mister bear with salmon. Now he needed to feed himself and sweep up the cottage for the day. But right before he could pull out some eggs and hay for the wood stove, some pony was already there.

"You do all that for those pitiful animals before feeding yourself, still the soft Typhoon I know…!"War Fire was suddenly in front of Typhoon's stove.

He was cooking up the eggs and hay, giving them a light seasoning from three different shakers. While the bear and birds were freaking out, and aggressively snapping at him. War Fire never was a sort of animal pony, in fact his presence was that of a demon to animals, but he was quite a mean cook.

"You should really consider feeding yourself before feeding these…critters…!"He used his magic to slam the window shut.

Before lifting the pan off the stove and let the fire roar a bit before his fiery ability lowered and shut down the flame. He then placed the food on two wood plates he levitated to the table.

"I need to make sure the animals eat. I can eat whenever I want, but the animals… They struggle for food in the wild."Typhoon looked down to his food quietly.

"That just makes the meal the find or hunt all the more satisfying to eat,"War Fire replied with his talk about survival,"No matter how much we progress, it's all about surviving my friend. This applies to your animals as well."

"Why are you here?"Typhoon asked, and War Fire chuckled, eating his share of eggs and hay.

"Your descendant… I can see the humiliation she brings you, and I know it bothers you,"War Fire incited his interest and sympathetic embarrassment for Fluttershy,"I'm thinking perhaps I could help her grow a spine…some guts perhaps… Cause even I'm finding that painful to watch."

"I can handle it. I don't need help getting her to grow up."Typhoon hated the idea of asking for help on a family matter.

"No, you can't. This mare, she's ridiculous, she's making a mockery of the name you made for yourself,"War Fire remarked and slightly insulted her,"You, a weak little colt that broke through the shell and grew into an illustrious warrior of the wind! She's ruining that…!"

Typhoon glared, but slowly looked down to aggressively start eating what was made. He hated War Fire's rude and bashful words, but to an extent, they were not wrong, that is what hurt the most.

"She needs some guts put into her…! The very same way they were put into you,"Typhoon tilted his head and heatedly sighed at such an idea,"Her ears need to hear some truths about the world, and her eyes need to open to it's harshness. Only then will she be what she needs to be for life as a whole…!"

"I know…! But you'd be wasting your time any way, she's already gone,"Typhoon sighed and immediately finished his hay,"She left to go somewhere very early this morning, apparently to make herself head strong like I wanted…"

"Oh! Well then problem solved! No need to be irritated and embarrassed. It's really just not you Typhoon."War Fire admitted with an already finished plate.

"I guess… But… Maybe I should go out and see about finding her."Typhoon still rather be safe rather than sorry on the matter,"Just see how this coaching is doing…!"

"Hehehahah…! There's your problem. You worry far too much, and think she can't do anything without you,"War Fire manage to stop Typhoon at the door with a bit of a thought,"Perhaps the problem lies with you as well… Maybe you need to let her go a little."

Typhoon gripped the door knob tightly and had to think it out for a moment. But his instinct for Fluttershy was too strong, and he calmly left the cottage for town. War Fire simply shook his head and slowly got up to follow, but not before roaring with a throat raging full of fire at Mister bear. Causing him to whimper and run for the hills at the demonic fury of the fiery warrior.

"Pathetic… Every last one of them."War Fire growled and casually left to follow Typhoon into town.

He followed the master of wind into the town, and needless to say, he wished he hadn't. Before he knew it, he had children and ponies flocking to him with compliments and respect for his role in the Pony Griffin War.

"Oh no…!"War Fire feared before he was swarmed by the crowd.

He tried to brush them off, but they flocked to him like moths to a flame. He had no choice, but to try and tame the crowd while Typhoon was free to walk onward alone.

"Have I really treated her so softly…? Am I the reason she's so shy?"he wondered, it was honestly upsetting to think this was his fault.

"If some pony tries to block, show them that you rock!"Suddenly, a quiet yet vicious demand sounded off in the marketplace.

Typhoon took off, desperate to find the source of the sudden aggression, fearing that some pony was bullying Fluttershy again. But once he finally got to the market place, he saw something he thought impossible.

"Maybes are for babies! Go to the back of the line where you belong!"Fluttershy was demanding a line cutter to take a hike to the back of the line.

"Fluttershy…?"Typhoon was baffled, as Fluttershy walked up to a stand to meet Pinkie.

"Heyyy, look at you."Pinkie took notice of the new change as well.

"Oh, your attitude is so feisty…! It's fabulous!"Rarity complimented.

"Looks like that monsters workshop really paid off!"Pinkie added to her interest for this change.

"Iron Will's not a monster, he's a Minotaur, and a true inspiration. His techniques really work!"Fluttershy spoke of a Minotaur by the name of Iron Will.

"Iron Will?! That's who she went to for help?!"Typhoon yelled out, and made the conversation go silent.

"Pappy?! W-what are you doing here?"she asked, knowing the tone of his voice sounded shocked and appalled.

"You went to that hulking con artist of a Minotaur for help? Are you mad, child?!"he exclaimed.

"Well… He seems to have done an amazing job. She's like a whole new Fluttershy now."Rarity hoped to defend what appeared to be a bad blood issue.

"More like a thug in training. Iron Will is a con man and a punk, nothing more,"Typhoon allowed an issue between him and the Minotaur to come forth,"I nearly lost the cottage because of him…! He tried everything in his power to buy me out or scare me out of my home."

"But pappy, he really is teaching me how to be assertive and gutsy, I swear,"She insisted and looked around for a chance to prove it,"Here…! I'll show you."

She fluttered over to another stand and put down a single bit to buy some strawberries.

"One bit for a bundle of strawberries!"She offered to the male store owner.

"Uh…the bundle is five bits ma'am, it's been that way ever since."He insisted with slight nervousness.

"Come on, surely you can spare me the four and just go with one bit today…"Fluttershy insisted they haggle for one bit.

"I can't, I just started this stand. I need to be stern about my prices if I want to get this stand off the ground."The stallion argued that his hooves were tied.

"Then If you can't make a deal, I'll teach you how pain can feel!"Fluttershy turned around and kicked the stand over in response to the shut out.

Typhoon gasped, and slowly looked at Rarity and Pinkie with the stare. They were clearly in support to this, and may have very well gotten Fluttershy into this new attitude. They tried their best to nervously laugh at the situation, sweating and trying not to look at him. Before Typhoon finally took his eyes off them to march over to his misbehaving descendant.

"Oh come now…! I'm sure she just needs time to…adjust her new thing to a more stable level."Rarity saw their opportunity to reason with Typhoon.

"Isn't this what you might have wanted? She has back bone now!"Pinkie insisted, and went right for his personal needs and wants.

"Yes, but I didn't want her becoming a thug from Old Equestria!"Typhoon responded and reached for Fluttershy.

"She'd want that more than you thinking she's an embarrassment to you,"Rarity stopped him, revealing what Fluttershy learned last night,"She did this cause she wants you to not see her as an embarrassment. She wants to prove to you that she can be strong."

"Do you really want her to just go back to what she was doing before? Or do you want her to be ready for the world?"Pinkie's words made Typhoon's hoof tremble and struggle with conflict.

His instincts with his child were screaming at him to reel her in, but their words cut deep. This was what he wanted from Fluttershy, and he was no different in dealing with the rough and ignorant. He was certainly more passive, but he was a warrior with unprecedented power. He could do any of these sort of things with just a flick of his hoof, and this power is the reason he survived Old Equestria. With these thoughts racing through his mind, he could only sigh, and lower his hoof.

"Fine… Fluttershy,"He called out to his descendant, as she finally received her prize for one bit,"Keep up the good work… I'll be going to the shop for a new couch… The ferrets burrowed too much in our old one."

"Yay…! Have a safe trip pappy!"Fluttershy cheerfully responded to her ancestor.

And so, Typhoon gave in out of hopes for this new Fluttershy to mellow out, but stay firm. Unfortunately he was not around long enough to see how much further she would take it. Even to the point that her own friends were now questioning if the old them liked the new Fluttershy.

But Typhoon had already left, passing by the library and towards the furniture shop. Struggling to trust this sudden new Fluttershy that came from one of the worst con artists he ever had to deal with. Iron Will, after seeing that poster from before, he definitely bulked up compared to how he was fifteen years ago. When he certainly proved himself to be a punk at heart with a complex. Once Typhoon had entered the store, the memory of Iron Will came to his mind in full.

It was fifteen solid years ago, just a year before he would bring Fluttershy into his home. He had exited his home to prepare new bells for awakening the animals from hibernation. Then he saw them, two runt looking Minotaurs of brown color and complete lack of masculinity. They were currently splashing in the creak, kicking the otters and fish out of the water with hearty laughter. One of them even went as far as head butting out the bridge to his home, another thing he needed to repair now.

Finally, the Minotaur of the hour showed up with large tubs of dirt at the ready. He was so different from what he would be from the future, the giant, bulk and powerful Iron Will. At this time, he barely had any muscle to show, and he was very skinny, almost looking malnourished even. But clearly he still had plenty of muscle to move those tons upon tons of dirt. He laughed heartily as he then started to fill up the creek, trying to remove the water and turn it into pure landscape.

"Excuse me? What do you Minotaur's think you're doing,"Typhoon tried to question them, but they did not listen,"Hello?! I'm trying to talk here! What are you doing to my home?!"

His demands fell on stubborn deaf ears, they simply continued filling his creak with dirt. Finally, Typhoon had enough and sprouted his wings, giving three strong flaps to pick up the wind. A jet stream of wind then flowed under his wings and blasted chunks of dirt out of the creak. Carrying them in wind tunnels before they blasted into the faces of the Minotaur group. They immediately need to crawl out of the creek, coughing and constantly rubbing their faces in confusion.

The dirt was burning their eyes and making them choke until they finally got out of the creak. They even needed to stop drop and roll before the dirt settled and their vision returned. Once Iron Will's vision returned, he was outraged, and looking for the source of the sudden dirt storm.

"What just happened?! When did they call for a dust storm in these parts?!"The Gray Minotaur demanded answers, looking the wrong way in the process.

"I said, hello!"Typhoon stepped over, and kicked Iron Will in the flank.

The kick was light, but it still made Iron Will jump and stumble on top of his friends. Only when they manage to catch him, and turn Iron Will around did they find the source, and it wasn't happy. So his friends quickly stood up behind him like bodyguards, as Iron Will finally addressed the stallion.

"Greetings! Sorry for the trouble, we have no idea where that dust storm came from,"The Minotaur suddenly turned polite for a moment, but Typhoon sensed some bull coming,"And it looks like the storm has suddenly filled up your creek…! Perhaps we'd be able to clear it out for just a-"

"What do you want with my creek, dirt diggers?"Typhoon demanded, not falling for the innocent act.

"Oh! That! We were just digging out some dirt to…fill some leaky spots that were draining your creek."Iron Will was proving to be a bull squatter, but not a good one.

"And that involved you guys headbutting my freshly built bridge to my cottage?"he pointed to the bridge that was smashed out.

Iron Will gulped and gave a glare to the Minotaur on his right for causing the flaw in their story.

"Ok, ok. Sorry about that issue. We just needed a way of saying that we were hoping to buy you out."Iron Will finally out and said what he really wanted to do.

"I'm sorry?"Typhoon lifted an eyebrow, and was shown a declaration allowing his property to be seized.

"The mayor gave us the permission to check out your property and prepare renovations."The left bodyguard explained what this deed allowed them to do.

"And once we had made our deal with you to buy out your cottage and land. All things were settled."The right Minotaur added.

"The Mayor gave you this without consulting me or asking my permission?"Typhoon was less than pleased to hear Mayor Mare going behind his back.

"Yes, anything can happen when the price is right?"Iron Will answered, the notion of dirty money being used disgusted Typhoon.

"And you honestly think you can buy me out? You think I'd sell to the likes of you?"Typhoon questioned, and Iron Will laughed.

Iron Will laughed at this and clapped his hands twice, his right Minotaur friend responded. A suitcase was then brought out from behind them and presented to Typhoon. It opened up, and there was at least a hundred sacks of bits filling the suitcase to the point that they could barely be contained.

"Ten thousand bits, right here, right now. All the bits you need to retire from this open land,"Iron Will tried some word play to sweeten the deal,"Leave this place behind, and we'll make this place into the animal conservation you dream of, and the animals will live in paradise…!"

Typhoon gave a huff, looking at the money, but it only took a minute to decide.

"No, I will not be selling. And you won't make this into an animal conservation,"Typhoon denied their claims and stood his ground against the Minotaurs,"You don't care about the animals, you care for profit and pandering for popularity. True animal conservation revolves around mutual respect and care between pony and the animals, we feed each other, we care for each other, we respect each other."

"We got a hippie…"The Minotaur on the left whispered to Iron Will.

"I know…!"He growled in response.

"I've been doing this for the longest time, and I've seen plenty of your kind before that pretended to love all these animals,"Typhoon continued on with his speech,"If you really did care, you wouldn't destroy land, put the animals in danger, put them down unnecessarily, or use them to promote your fake propaganda for profit…!"

"How did he know about our bust in Apploosa…?"Iron Will shushed his friends up

"So…?"Iron Will tried to play dumb.

"No…! The answer is no."Typhoon sighed and simplified it for Iron Will.

"Not even for…fifty thousand bits?"The left Minotaur offered another secret suitcase full of more money.

"No."Typhoon easily responded, their desperation now showed.

"Fine…! How about…one hundred thousand bits?!"Iron will snapped his fingers to bring the final suitcase out.

"And…no…! Now if your done pandering to me. Please leave my property."Typhoon demanded, and stood his ground.

"Fine then… Have it your way…"Iron Will turned around, appearing to leave.

But then he nodded to his friends, showing the dirt he had finally scooped off his shoulder. They nodded in response, and they immediately sprung their trap once he turned around. He threw the dirt into Typhoon's face, and it blinded him just long enough for the other Minotaurs to move in.

They grabbed Typhoon's hooves and held them out like tight ropes wrapped around his forearms. Thankfully, Typhoon was at least able to wipe his eyes with his shoulders to see what happened. While Iron laughed more aggressively, the nice guy routine had failed, Typhoon now knew what was coming next, intimidation.

"Well, that's a shame we couldn't do this the civil way. But the only stubbornness we accept is our own,"Iron Will approached Typhoon once they believed the stallion was locked down,"Now then… How about you simply accept our first offer and the offer of no bodily harm done to you or your animals?"

"Thanks for proving my point."Typhoon commented on the instant hypocrisy of intentions.

The Minotaurs responded by punching Typhoon's gut several times on each side. Typhoon was not moved by these decent at best punches, he just kept his eyes low and stood there.

"Let's not be the smart one here. We have the declaration, now all we need is you to agree."Iron Will was oozing with confidence at this tactic.

"Buck yourselves…!"Typhoon politely declined.

More punches were applied to the point that that the body guards felt their fists starting to ache. Typhoon felt his stomach bruising a bit, but the pain was minor compared to what he endured over the years. So he continued standing firm, while Iron Will was losing his patience.

"Agree to the deal OR ELSE…!"He demanded, and Typhoon spit a wad at Iron Will's hooves.

Two strong right hooks met both sides of Typhoon's jaw, and that's when their tactic broke instantly. And it broke, along with the fingers on their right hands, forcing out screams of pain. Typhoon merely shook his head to shake off the blows, and grab them by their arms. Iron Will backed away, his head shook in confusion as he watched his friends suddenly get pulled together. Their heads slamming into each other so hard, their horns had suddenly shattered from the force.

They both slammed to the ground, and were out called in mere seconds. Giving Typhoon plenty of time crack his neck and look up to Iron Will with a sigh.

"Now I'm only going to warn you once. Get the buck off my property, before I force you to leave!"His wings sprouted and a breeze picked up around them.

"Right, right… We're so sorry for the trouble. We've just been on the road, looking for new business, make an honest living,"The gears in his head was turning inside, thinking of a way out,"Look over there!"

He pointed to the sky, and Typhoon gave a small glance to where Iron Will pointed. The Minotaur used this opportunity to whip up a hand knife chop, and whack it into the side of Typhoon's neck.

However, the chop did not move the stallion, and didn't even strike the nerve to put him out cold. The ground merely cracked a bit under his hooves, before steam rushed out of Typhoon's snout. He then lifted his own hoof into the air, and demonstrated what a real knife hand or hoof looks like. By bringing it down, and cracking it in the same spot Iron Will struck him. The results were different, as Iron Will's body suddenly shut down almost instantly, his vision quickly fading.

With a sudden solid drop to the dirt, Iron will slammed face first to the dirt that cracked up even more beneath their hooves. While Typhoon gently let out a deep breath to calm his mind and nerves. With a clear of his throat, Typhoon turned to walk back to his house.

"I'll let you see yourselves out when you wake up."Typhoon added more insult to injury by kicking some dirt back like a cat in a litter box.

It coated Iron Will and his passed out cronies, leaving Typhoon satisfied with teaching these crooked con Minotaurs a lesson. He went inside, where he could tend to the mild injuries he ensured that would never be realized.

Typhoon sighed and shook off the memory, now that he needed full focus for carrying the new couch. At least this got his mind off the change Fluttershy was currently going through. Hoping that this apparent training will benefit her, and give her the spine to embrace the good and the bad of the world.

Once he got outside however, the meeting became inevitable as he exited the store. That is where Typhoon suddenly slammed into what felt like a brick wall, and dropped his couch right behind him. He looked to the couch, and saw two legs of the couch deep into a mud puddle.

"Oh for the love of… For once, can any of you ponies learn how to,"Typhoon turned with outrage to a large bulk gray and blue chest,"Move the hay….out of the way…?"

"Hey! What did you say to me?! Those who dare to command me, will only get a broken…knee…?"Iron Will looked down, and suddenly saw this was no ordinary pony.

"YOU! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?! WHAT AM I DOING HERE?! I ASKED YOU FIRST!"Typhoon and Iron Will questioned each other in sync.

"Iron Will here to make a living! I thought you had finally croaked!"Iron Will growled, not understanding immortality in the warriors.

"I thought YOU had learned your lesson about what happened years ago!"Typhoon snapped right back at Iron Will.

"Iron Will did! And Iron Will hasn't done anything that could be considered a con or scam,"Iron Will defended and pointed his finger at Typhoon's face,"Iron Will teaches ponies and all creatures alike to have the guts and will power to seize the day as they see fit! Much like yours truly!"

"Yeah, I just recently saw what your teachings have done for my child, Fluttershy…!"Typhoon was less than pleased to admit that.

"Hmm, Iron Will thought he recognized the long mane and soft weakling voice from somewhere,"Iron Will thought of the idea of relations between Fluttershy and Typhoon,"So this just made everything all the sweeter! You raised a kid with no spine, and now Iron Will had to be the one to fix her up! How ironic!"

"Buck off! She was doing just fine before you brought your mangy flank into town."Typhoon foolishly spoke against what he himself thought before.

"I don't have a spine, my pappy is ashamed of me. Please help me be a stronger pony."Iron Will recited a plea from Fluttershy herself.

"You piece of…"Typhoon was ready to snap on Iron Will.

"You really wanna attack your own kid's teacher after all that Iron Will did for her,"Iron Will flexed on him, confident that no harm would come to him,"Is that really the smart thing to do, old timer?"

Typhoon, felt his conflict daring to be made even more difficult, even if the Minotaur was asking for it. For the sake of Fluttershy's change, he allowed Pinkie and Rarity's advise to restrain him. So he let this animosity go, and he gave a huff before turning to retrieve the new couch. Iron Will chuckled, taking in this sweet victory and pride filling moment of revenge against Typhoon.

"This is only the beginning, Typhoon… I don't let go of things so easily…"Iron Will quietly stated and finally walked off the other way.

Typhoon obliviously walked on after hoisting the couch over his head and shoulders. He let his ears guide his way back, even through the aftermath of a situation that was getting out of control. But he still kept going since his ears were focused on another matter, even when Fluttershy swooped over his head.

He remained as he was, and within half an hour he was approaching his cottage silently. The animals quickly moved out of his path since he was walking blind. Foxes quickly brushed off the bridge with their tails to avoid splinters and chips in the wood, while the hawk opened the door. Allowing Typhoon to make it half way into the door before the couch was caught up in the door. Mister Bear was thankfully there to rush in from the kitchen and help dislodge the couch and bring it inside.

"Thank you, Mister Bear. New furniture is always a pain in the flank."Typhoon sighed and patted the bear's back.

"There you are! We hoped you'd be back soon!"Pinkie Pie suddenly exclaimed from the old couch.

"What?"He was somewhat startled, and turned to see her and a weeping Rarity on his old couch.

Pinkie was patting Rarity's back and trying to comfort her as Mister Bear than remembered what he was doing in the kitchen. He ran off and immediately came out with hot tea for the mares.

"What's going on? What happened now?"Typhoon questioned as the mares got their tea.

"It's Fluttershy! She's getting out of hoof! She's all, YOU WANT OLD FLUTTERSHY BACK, YOU WANT, DO ANYTHING TO HER AND SHE WON'T COMPLAIN FLUTTERSHY BACK!"Pinkie explained almost too fast to understand.

"She's out of control…! She made fun of my fashion and attention to detail!"Rarity dramatically cried.

"We…need your help…! Is there any way you could help us…reign in on her?"Pinkie slyly begged for help.

"Really? Now you want me to get involved? What happened to all that, proving she's strong stuff?"Typhoon crossed his hooves in resentment.

"We didn't know these teachings were going to make her so…"Pinkie tried to explain their mistake.

"Thuggish, aggressive, criminally insane? That's Iron Will. A con Minotaur, and a thug…."Typhoon admitted with a nod.

"How…how do you know about, Iron Will?"Rarity sniffled and wiped at her running makeup.

"I'll explain that another time. You can both finish your tea and be on your way,"Typhoon slammed his new couch down and popped his neck,"The both of you don't want to be here when I drag that mare back home."

"Really? You're gonna help?!"Pinkie was over excited by the notion of easy forgiveness and action.

"Of course I'm gonna help. She's my family, and my responsibility."Typhoon answered and was quick to rush out the door,"Don't sit on that couch any more, it belongs to the weasels and mice now."

"What…?"Rarity was confused at the notion.

Only for the chattering squeaky noises of mice to be heard, along with the screams of Rarity. Pinkie merely laughed as Typhoon was quickly making his way to town. Hoping that Fluttershy had not caused any more damage that what had already been said. He did not know whether to be angry with her, or scared for her, either way, this was Iron Will's doing. These thoughts angered Typhoon to the point that he took flight to make his way to Ponyville all the quicker.

It wasn't too much longer that the green stallion arrived to the town and started looking around. His first stop was the market place, but most of the stands were empty and quiet. So he slowly descended and started to search around the area for any signs of Fluttershy or at least another pony. Even a wood sign suddenly collapsed on a tomato stand before the stand itself collapsed. He swallowed, the market place looked like it was turned into a ghost town, it was almost unnerving.

He was even starting to suspect an attack by Cinders or maybe Changelings. Seeing as there was some stands and center lines of produce broken and scattered across the ground. Finally, he heard a noise, a shudder of sorts, almost like a fearful whimper coming from a lettuce stand on wheels.

"Hello?"Typhoon called to the stand, but only got more shudders.

He slowly walked to the stand on wheels and looked over the half broken sign. Then he placed a hoof to the lightly splintered tabletop littered with shredded lettuce pieces. Finally, he was given a small jump scare as a gray stallion poked his black messy mane head out of the stand from the cupboard. With him, he carried a yellow filly that was scared to pieces, her orange mane was a mess. Typhoon gasped and lowered himself down to meet the stallion.

"Hello? What happened here?"The stallion gasped, but released a deep breath once he saw who it was.

"Oh, thank Celestia. It's just Typhoon Breeze… Come on out Daisy Pod, it's safe to come out,"The obvious father was quick to exit the cupboard and help his daughter out,"Gather your things, we're leaving this crazy town."

"Yes pa…!"The filly complied and tried to clean up the surviving lettuce.

"Excuse me, but can you tell me what happened?"Typhoon begged once more for answers to the disaster.

"Oh, you missed what happened? Some mare went crazy and attacked anything that so much as stepped in her way,"The stallion explained and put away his profits from today into a hat,"She roared at us and tore up my produce after I refused to lower my prices on lettuce."

"Fluttershy…!"Typhoon groaned, it became too obvious now.

"I saw some ponies look to a Minotaur for help, but he just stood back and laughed at the carnage,"The stallion explained further, while kicking out the stoppers on his stand's wheels,"Finally, there was a bit of fire and some pony yelling at her. Then some guards or authorities or something yelling, then it all got quiet for the longest time."

"Authorities…? Oh my gosh…she got arrested…?!"Typhoon slapped a hoof to his mouth in fear.

"Hopefully, I don't know what was up with that mare, but some pony hasn't been teaching her respect and restraint,"He pointed out a sudden lesson missing from the teachings of assertiveness,"We have to leave now… We'll probably set up shop in Canterlot. Maybe it won't be as crazy there…"

With that bit of knowledge, the father let his daughter ride his back for a bit as they wheeled their stand off to better fortunes. Leaving a horrified and even saddened Typhoon, mentally picturing the idea of his child behind bars. As angry as he wanted to be with her, the true anger was directed at himself. His discomfort and shame drove Fluttershy to an enemy and a crook for help. And now that crook has turned her into a monster that hoped for acceptance from her pappy.

He even bit into his hoof, frustration grew, and shame for himself replaced any shame he had for her. He even trembled silently in the center of the desolate market place, as grief struck. Threatening to bring a tear to his eye, but now was not the time for emotions, now was the time for a pick up.

And that pick up was now currently waiting in a holding cell within a jail house behind the mayor's house. Fluttershy stood within the barred up sell with nothing but a bench for comfort. A nice solid wood bench with secret splinters littered around it, and she even had a neighbor to go with it. An incredibly muscular and unappealing butch brown mare with a pink Mohawk mane. Who would constantly shine a shiv right at Fluttershy when the time was just right.

Thankfully, she had a certain warrior around to keep the peace while looking at her with a half smile. War Fire himself leaned against her cage and dangled a bag of bits around in his hoof. He looked to the chief he would need to pay in hopes of bailing the mare out, but he wasn't quite ready to do that yet.

"So…you had quite the nerve to yell at me over my judgment of your actions,"War Fire spoke with a snicker to contain slight irritation,"That wasn't such a good idea, was it?"

"No…"Her ears drooped along with her response.

"No indeed… But seeing Typhoon march in here and give you the proper discipline should make up for it,"War Fire commented further and gave a glare to the butch inmate,"Your assertiveness was impressive, but you had no self control. You let yourself get carried away with the power. Many have easily been killed for these reasons before…"

"I know… I thought I was getting better, but I only got worse…"Fluttershy nodded once to this.

"You trusted the wrong kind of fella for assertiveness… I could have taught you better assertiveness than that Minotaur,"War Fire admitted that he was not above helping others,"But of course, this should have been Typhoon's job… But he's too soft in all the wrong places…"

"No he's not…"Fluttershy instinctively defended.

"Excuse me…?"War Fire let an intimidating grumble bellow his response.

"He's…not soft… He's…passionate,"She was quiet at first, as War Fire turned around and let a toothy smile grow on his face,"He…he… He…!"

She was shriveling up to the horrifying grin of the most dangerous Equestrian warrior. Only for the smug smile to slowly dissipate her fear and replace it with outrage.

"Pappy is a passionate stallion…! He loves the critters around the forest and our home,"Fluttershy suddenly let out all her defensive spirit for her family,"He only loathes and pities those who try to hurt or kill those innocent creatures and the life we all live in. I grew up learning of his passion, and it made him the most respectable, loving, and kind hearted pony I ever knew…!"

It took her a moment to reel back from that respectable defense of her Pappy. Only to realize how close she was to War Fire's face, he could easily snip her muzzle without moving any closer.

"That is how you assert yourself… Young mare…"War Fire chuckled before the door to the jail house opened.

They both turned, and Typhoon now stood before them, and started to approach slowly.

"There's what I was waiting for. Here's the bail money."War Fire tossed the bit bag to the guard to bail Fluttershy out.

The guard verified and nodded before pressing the button to let the mare out. The jailbee mare sighed in defeat, her fresh piece of meat robbed from her as she had robbed from others. This freedom brought little relief to Fluttershy, for now the real punisher of her crimes standing before her.

"Thank you, War Fire… For picking her up."Typhoon quietly spoke to his comrade.

"Any time… Do be sure she gets it good for the trouble she caused…"War Fire insisted, still a bit stung by some words Fluttershy shared before.

"I will be sure of that…! Fluttershy, get moving… We're going home…!"Typhoon's voice was low, but incredibly stern, marking some pent up emotions she dare not tamper with.

"Yes, pappy…"She quietly answered and kept her head low while moving pass him.

"I will make sure this does not happen again…! I promise."Typhoon promised the guard at the desk.

The guard nodded and wished them a good night, even though it looked like quite the opposite for them. As the two exited the jail house, no words were said during the walk through town. The mess she had made of the place was more than enough for them to stomach.

This reflected on Fluttershy's poor decisions, and washed her in a wave of guilt for her actions. Typhoon said nothing, he would only allow the damage to speak for itself. Thankfully there was hardly any ponies out to offer scorn or disapproval, but she could feel the disapproval steaming off Typhoon.

Finally, they were able to leave the heavy scene and quietly make their way back home. Twenty long minutes of silence was starting to kill her, some pony needed to talk to break the ice. So she stopped once they were approaching the cottage bridge, and he stopped as well.

"I'm sorry… I shouldn't have done all those mean things to every pony, especially my friends,"Fluttershy softly said, just the way she always did before Iron Will changed her,"I just… Wanted to make you proud of me… Instead of being an embarrassing push over all the time."

Typhoon looked down and to the side, thinking of what to say to these words that hurt to hear.

"I didn't think Iron Will's training would be so extreme. And make me do things that were so…extreme,"She admitted, but knew it brought little comfort to her shuddering pappy,"Maybe I was better off being a push over rather than being a monster that only scared others, or even harm them…"

"Fluttershy…"Typhoon finally spoke, before emotion took over.

He turned and took her by the hoof, pulling the shy mare into a hug, as his breathing trembled.

"I'm so relieved that you're ok. You were stuck in the middle of chaos, you got arrested,"Typhoon rubbed her back and nuzzled against her head, his fear and worry on full display,"I was so worried about what had happened. I knew this was going to far, and I still let you go…!"

"Pappy… Pappy…! I'm so sorry I worried you…!"Fluttershy pleaded for forgiveness, to the stallion who let a tear stream loose.

"And I'm sorry I chose not to help you. I should have jumped in when I heard you were learning from that crook, Iron Will…!"Typhoon shuddered and brushed her mane.

"Y-you know about Iron Will?"She asked as he finally decided to decided to walk with her.

"Yes… And he was the last creature you should have went to for help…"He decided it was time to tell her of his encounter with the Minotaur.

But first he needed to bring Fluttershy back into the cottage, and into a peace of mind. Angel arrived to greet them alongside Stormy, and Typhoon was quick to get a fresh batch of tea going. He had a lot of explaining to do, but he needed every pony and creature calm before he did so. Some fresh hot mint tea would do just the trick, while Fluttershy was comforted by the bunny rabbits. Once the tea was made, he brought it into their living room, took his seat, and the explanation began.

He spared no details, what Iron Will wanted from him, the bribery he committed. Not to mention tearing up the property, trying to buy Typhoon out, and finally trying to force him to give up his cottage and land. The story was horrifying to say the least, and it sickened her stomach. The Minotaur she trusted did everything including harming and intimidating her pappy in hopes of taking their home. If she had known, she never would have trusted Iron Will.

"So… After all was said and done. I returned to my home, and the Minotaurs were gone by sunset,"Typhoon concluded and petted Stormy,"It was thanks to this little guy's mom bringing me medical plants that I made a fast recovery."

"Oh dear…! I trusted that Minotaur…!"Fluttershy was hog washed in complete humiliation.

"He used your desperation to his advantage. That's what con ponies and Minotaurs do,"Typhoon explained and gave a huff to calm his mood,"And I let him take advantage of you…"

"So…what do I do now…? Half of Ponyville is afraid of me. Even my friends…"She sighed, reflecting on all the ponies she terrorized.

"We can go out and apologize to every pony later. First, we need to deal with Iron Will,"Typhoon insisted what was most important at the moment,"And to do that, I'm gonna do what I should have done in the first place."

He stood up from his chair and carried Stormy in his hooves to keep him sleeping. As he approached Fluttershy, kneeling down to her and offering a gentle proposition.

"I will show you how to be assertive, the right kind of assertive. Like I should have done before,"Typhoon surprised her with this sudden decision to tutor her on assertiveness,"Can you trust me to show you what it means to have a spine?"

"Pappy… I,"Fluttershy couldn't find the right words to express how much it meant to her that Typhoon was ready to teach her a serious social skill needed in life itself,"No matter what has happened…I never stopped trusting you! And I never will!"

Fluttershy almost lunged to Typhoon, her words complimenting a hug she gave him. The initial surprise immediately washed away to comfort and reassurance, for he no longer feared these lessons. No matter what he taught her, she would still be the Fluttershy he loved her for being. And he would never let another thing change that in her, so he embraced this hug for the longest moment. Before they would go to bed, and begin a two week long tutoring on true and respectable assertiveness.

From standing stern and bravely, he taught her, so she would not back down from aggressors or equally stern con artists. He then started to teach her speeches, speeches deprived from common knowledge. Allowing her to point out flaws in contracts and irrational creatures trying to fool her with flawed logic. This was all done within the first week, the first three were a challenge, but within the other four, it clicked with her. Then it was onto self restraint, learning to keep a cool head, and never throwing the first punch.

Assertive actions can lead to others becoming hostile, but it was vital for her to know when and when not to be hostile. That lesson was simple, fight only when there is no other choice, and never instigate the fight. If violence is truly what the other party wants, then you will only give them what you must. With such an easy lesson learned, there was one more thing that she needed. Some simple yet effective self defense moves, in hopes of teaching her to protect herself against an uncertain world.

The had the whole rest of that week to practice and learn together, and it couldn't have been cut closer. For it was soon the deadline before Fluttershy needed to offer up a payment for Iron Will's lessons.

Thankfully he was not the first one to finally visit them after the trouble two weeks ago. It was in fact, Rarity and Pinkie Pie that finally decided it was time to check on their friend. They had learned of Fluttershy's arrest, and it was scaring them to pieces, it made them quiver at what could have happened to her behind bars. So they crossed over the little bridge, and became desperate to check on her. They knocked on the cottage door, and awaited an answer from Fluttershy or Typhoon.

"Fluttershy! Are you there?"Rarity called to their friend.

"It's Pinkie Pie and Rarity!"Pinkie called out with Rarity, but there was no answer.

"Give us a minute, we're busy with something."Typhoon called out from behind the door.

"We just wanted to say, we apologize for what happened before…! We…admittedly said some things we regret as well."Rarity stated, hoping to offer a forgiving comfort to the situation.

"We did?"Pinkie was confused, and Rarity covered her mouth.

"We shouldn't have encouraged Fluttershy's assertive behavior before, and we certainly should not have stopped Typhoon from reigning in on it,"Rarity continued explaining without any responses,"We don't blame either of you for what happened. Fluttershy… You just received terrible advice from that terrible Iron Will character."

"Yeah! He's the one who made you act all super duper nasty,"Pinkie finally agreed and said what was already being done,"What I mean is, there are other ways to assert yourself other than yelling at any pony."

With that, the door immediately clicked and opened at the sound of Pinkie's words. The two went silent and backed away, allowing for Typhoon and Fluttershy to finally exit the cottage. They wore brave smiles and stood tall, a reflection of Typhoon's teachings and his own new found confidence in Fluttershy.

"I know…and I spent a lot of time since then learning how to be that kind of assertive."Fluttershy admitted.

"Really?! That's super duper NOT nasty!"Pinkie exclaimed.

"I promise…! I will never be a monster when I assert myself ever again!"Fluttershy promised, and the girls cheered.

"Darling, we never thought you were a monster."Rarity insisted that they never saw a monster in her.

"Yeah, Iron Will is the real monster!"Pinkie added, as a shadow loomed over her.

"Iron Will Is my name, changing ponies is my game!"Suddenly, the Minotaur of the hour had arrived for the payments.

"Iron Will…!"Typhoon walked forth and politely separated Pinkie and Rarity.

"Typhoon!"Iron Will stepped forth, and the two butt heads for a silent moment.

They both growled at each other, their bad blood being made clear from the aggression. But Typhoon slowly rested his anger and became stern, but in control of himself.

"I heard Fluttershy is one of the toughest ponies out there, word on the street is that she doesn't take guff from no pony,"Iron Will explained, not breaking eye contact with Typhoon,"So, Iron Will is here to collect his payment…!"

"No…you are not. You are here to listen to a dissatisfied customer."Typhoon smirked and stepped aside.

"What?"The two friends were confused by the answer.

Fluttershy only stepped forward and stood before Iron Will, releasing a small breath.

"You were nothing but a door mat before. Now Iron Will has turned you into a lean, mean assertive machine,"Iron Will used a low tone of voice to show a sense of self control,"Now pay Iron Will what you owe Iron Will."

His demands were made clear, her ears drooped, only to perk back up again. Fear tries to creep into her heart, but she shook her head, remembering the words of her pappy. Only then did she steel herself and stand up to Iron Will, before giving her answer.

"No."Her response was firm.

What did you say?"Iron Will questioned in shock.

Even his witty and more pitiful assistants were shocked by this sudden response. The girls even held their breath, feeling a sense of unease take over with Iron Will's outrage.

"I said no, Iron Will."Fluttershy responded, catching the attention of a hidden admirer.

"You would dare say no to Iron Will? Oh, I would hate to be you right now,"Iron Will let his outrage be heard and seen through his words and flexes,"Because Iron Will is gonna rain down a world of hurt unless he gets his money pronto!"

Typhoon was ready to step in, but Fluttershy held out a hoof to stop Typhoon. With another deep breath, she was ready to stand her ground once more.

"As I recall, during your workshop you promised at your workshop one hundred percent satisfaction, or you pay nothing,"Fluttershy reminded the Minotaur, and Typhoon was becoming more proud with every word,"Well I'm not satisfied."

"What do you mean you're not satisfied, every pony has always been satisfied!"Iron Will's anger was now mixing with complete confusion.

"Well, I guess I'm the first then, but since I'm not satisfied, I refuse to pay,"Fluttershy explained the stance on their deal, making her friends grow with pride as well,"It's as simple as that."

She gave a stomp of her hoof for good measure, showing her will to not back down or change her mind. Iron Will was ready to have a break down, for he realized he was indeed caught thanks to his own stupidity. His own business sale pitch about satisfaction being his downfall, when it was meant to keep ponies like Typhoon from calling him out as a con artist.

"Ohh…are you…sure you're not just a little bit satisfied? B-because maybe we could cut a deal!"Iron Will got desperate, and attempted a quick deal on the fly.

"Absolutely not, no means no. Especially to any deals you may offer me, I'm well aware of your on the fly deals,"Fluttershy made her word final and decided she wanted to make something else clear as well,"I learned about your tries for a deal with my Pappy, and I will tell you exactly what I'm sure he told you."

"What…?"Iron Will was shocked even further by what she knew about him and Typhoon, as well as the deal he was about to make.

"You can have my home, or this land the day that me and Pappy die. So there's your answer on your deal…!"Fluttershy concluded and walked away from the Minotaur.

"You…!"Iron Will was seeing red, the door closed on a customer and on a deal.

He lost a payment on a pony related to his greatest enemy, and now his chance to steal his land was thwarted yet again. And to sprinkle salt on the wound, she gave him a speech much like Typhoon's. She really was a child from the loins of the green stallion, the very thought was turning him red.

"You really are one of Typhoon's children… Soft and mushy, but hardens and stubbornly stands tall,"Iron Will spoke, out of a mix of disgust and admiration,"Always denying the inevitable. Denying those simply helping with the progression of creature kind…!"

"Well… Maybe every now and then… Progress should lose when it goes too far."Fluttershy retorted, causing the Minotaur to finally snap.

He roared, and charged at her, his horns ready to pierce her in the back and through the chest. Picturing it was the image of the last pony that stood up to him in such a manner. She could only turn and see him charging, her eyes widen as Pinkie and Rarity step in front of her. Ready to protect their friend with magic and rock breaking muscle, but that was made unnecessary. Iron Will shut his eyes at the very last second of impact, but the impact he got was from a kick to the snout.

The big green back hoof of Typhoon came forth, protecting the mares and kicking the Minotaur. Powerful wind and momentum carried his kick, as it launched Iron Will across the grass. His nose bloodied and coating his eyes as he skipped like a rock in the grass and dirt. Until he came to a thunderous crash within a cluster of Ever Free forest trees that slowly collapsed on him. Kicking up dirt, grass and debris, their ears almost popping from the cracks of wood and thunderous impact.

"That's enough of you…!"Typhoon decided while lowering his leg.

"Please… Warn us before you do that."rarity begged while rubbing her ears.

"How ironic, looks like all that new muscle didn't do jack."Typhoon snorted and turned to Fluttershy.

"Well done, Fluttershy. That was the bravest thing I have ever seen from you."Typhoon admitted and hugged her with pride.

"Yeah! You were amazing, Fluttershy! You totally stood up to the monster!"Pinkie was beyond excited and happy for her friend.

"In fact, you didn't change at all! You were the same old Fluttershy we've always loved!"Rarity added further to this show of pride.

"The one we missed."Pinkie added even more so.

"The one that never needed to change…"Typhoon concluded before he could finally stop hugging her.

"Don't worry. Old Fluttershy is back for good. I'm sorry I took this whole assertiveness too far,"Fluttershy admitted her faults,"Friends?"

"Friends!"Her friends agreed, and they shared in a group hug.

They were about to laugh, but then a roar sounded off from behind, and they spotted it as quickly as Typhoon did. Iron Will roared and was running forth with his fists ready to start swinging. Typhoon was almost impressed that he did not get beat in one shot this time.

But just as Iron Will closed in with a right hook ready, and Typhoon was ready to throw a punch of his own. The boiling black hoof of War Fire suddenly surged down from the sky. Cracking Iron Will in the back of the neck, turning his roars to high pitch shrieks of a little filly.

Iron Will immediately face planted and buried his head in the dirt before he was out cold. Only when War Fire confirmed it with a few slaps to the cheeks was he satisfied with the finish here.

"He said, that's enough. Filthy Minotaur."War Fire mocked the unconscious foe.

"War Fire? How long have you been here?"Typhoon questioned, as War Fire stepped off the beaten foe.

"Me…? I was just passing through. And I couldn't help but stop and enjoy the fireworks,"War Fire chuckled and approached his fellow warrior,"I must say… You have impressed me. You're strong, stern, and you have a lot of heart."

War Fire's warm compliments were met with surprise and a little smile from Fluttershy.

And it seems you have more than enough to pass it down to others, showing them what it means to be strong,"War Fire complimented further and gave a little look to Fluttershy,"You've raised a fine descendant. Maybe this day and age isn't in so much trouble after all…"

"Thank you… War Fire."Typhoon's thanks was met with a silent nod.

War Fire then turned around, making his proud exit into the woods where he could think about the things he said. Leaving the rest of the group to slowly smile more at the kinder side of the fiery warrior. Then, Rarity simply looked to Typhoon, thinking of how important it was to Typhoon to show his best to War Fire.

"So… Are you ashamed of our darling Fluttershy now?"Rarity asked.

"Heh… Not in the least."Typhoon chuckled and looked to them all.

With that, peace returned to Typhoon's home and his family, as he now sat in his chair hours later. And this time he had Fluttershy sitting at his side in her very own rocking chair. Just in time for the stars to appear and streak across the sky, the night settling nice and soundly in.

Together they listened to the crickets chirp along with the gentle rush of their creek. Their minds being put at rest, now that another wave of unwanted chaos and drama was over. It was back to the simple things, the normal things, the peaceful things.

One of which had now became Fluttershy's interest, as she quietly pulled out a scroll and quill pen from her chair. For it was time for the mare to make a letter to princess Celestia, because she had two lessons to share.

Dear Princess Celestia

Sometimes it can be hard for a shy pony like me to stand up for myself, and when I first tried it, I didn't like the pony I became. But I've learned that standing up for yourself isn't the same as changing who you are. Now I know how to put my hoof down without being unpleasant or mean.

PS

I think Pappy Typhoon learned a lesson as well, the best way to prepare some pony you care about for the world. You need to let go of personal fear and never think about the what ifs. All that matters is you and that person learning together and passing important life long lessons down. For the sake of a better future for all.

Finally she rolled up the scroll with two lessons, one for friendship and one for life. She would give it to Spike in the morning for transport to the princess, but now was not the time. Now was the time to enjoy her time with Pappy, and ready herself for tomorrow. Cause tomorrow she would be ready to dress down Angel if he dared to deny what she offered.

Welp, at long last another chapter is finally here. I'm sorry for taking so long, as I said before, there's still a rough situation going on and it's got me preoccupied. But rest assured, I'm still here, I'm still writing, and I'm still making a story. So please be patient every pony, and pls stay pony every one. Also, apologies for trying to get War Fire singing a little tune I tried to make up, I wanted to maybe try a little song making for the warriors.